My Psychological Anylysis on the NES Collector or a Rant on Why We Collect
By Glantern

I have been collecting NES games now for about two years and I have realized many things about myself and other NES collectors. This is mostly due to me hanging out at the message board everyday posting and replying to messages. Each collector is different in his own way but everyone can be separated into 2 distinct categories. Most collectors are either, A, ones who have to have every game with manual and box included OR they are B, people who just collect the games they want. I am included in the former group, trying to get all 770 American releases with boxes and instructions. I am just compulsive that way and I think other people are like that too. I think I am like this because I know once I reach that goal I am completely finished and I can sit down and enjoy the games that I have sought long and hard to find. Which brings me to another point. Some collectors play games obsessively until they beat them. The whole Ninja Gaiden story comes to mind. Someone just started playing it until they beat it. Then they told everyone else and it snowballed from there. Even I started playing it for awhile. But this is where I am different from other people. I cannot just sit down and play a game until the end. Whenever I get new games, I sample each one if you will, only trying as far as my patience allows me. Then I put it with everything else. Sure, once in awhile I put in Zelda or Mario 2 and beat it as fast as possible, but I think that my disability to play games for extended periods of time links back to my compulsive nature. I feel that I cannot sit down and enjoy the games until I have them all. This is all right with me though. I enjoy going out to flea markets, Funco and other places and looking for games rather that playing them. It’s just something that makes me a different kind of NES collector. Some of you may even be just like me in that respect. Some of you may think I’m crazy. But the truth is, every collector is different, and in no way have I covered every area that collectors are different. That’s what makes the message board so great too. Everyone has different goals when collecting the games. But what ties us together is that we collect NES games and when I hear about others experiences, its just great. That’s what makes the board and collecting NES games along side you guys so fun. Just keep doing what you’re doing and collecting NES games will continue a long time from now.